Plaine des Bessons

Geology

Panorama

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Ideal for beginners looking to practice their first technical skills in the world of trail running, this short 5-km loop with a fairly significant elevation gain takes you up from the village of Orpierre. The trail, at the foot of Rocher Saint Michel, offers views of the village and its cliffs.

Description

From the fountain in the village square, follow the D 30 toward Laragne, then take the small road toward the Camping des Princes d'Orange. After the bridge, head back up the main road that runs alongside the campground. Continue along the trail until you reach a fork.
Take the right fork onto the main trail. Pass in front of the old Paturle farm, ignore the trail branching off to the right, and continue uphill to a second fork.
At the signpost marked “Au-dessus de Paturle,” take the left trail toward “Saint Michel via the Plaine des Bessons” (yellow markers). Be careful: the shaded trail climbs quite steeply for 300 meters.
At the next fork, head down the path straight ahead toward “Orpierre via Plaine des Bessons – 2.8 km.” Cross the wooded plain, then follow the trail downhill to the main path.
Return to the church square via the same route you took on the way up.

Departure : Church's place, Orpierre
Arrival : Church's place, Orpierre
Towns crossed : Orpierre

Forecast

Altimetric profile

Recommandations

This varied and diverse route includes a few steep climbs

Information desks

Place du village, 05700 Orpierre

https://www.sisteron-alpesprovencales.fr/orpierre@sisteron-alpesprovencales.fr 04 92 66 30 45

Transport

Let’s limit our trips and use public transportation and carpooling: https://zou.maregionsud.fr

Access and parking

From Laragne (13 km), take the D 1075, then the D 30 (Eyguians/Pont-Lagrand junction) to reach the town of Orpierre.

Parking :

Church's parking lot, Orpierre

1 point of interest

Lake and river
The Ceans
Taking its source at the top of the mountain of Chamouse, the Ceans crosses all the Orpierrois-district before flowing into the Buëch at the level of Garde-Colombe. Over 22 km long, the torrent partly follows the route of the Princes of Orange.